Friday, December 8, 2017

Frightful Fridays! Forest Linnorm

Hello and welcome back to another installment of Frightful Fridays! I know I gave you plants last week, but the forest linnorm is on the opposite end of the power scale, plus it's technically a dragon. I thought it would be fun to design a less overtly threatening linnorm, but it will react to threats just as nastily as any of its obviously evil cousins.

I hope you enjoy the forest linnorm. See you next week with another monster!



Several trees grow from this dragonlike creature, creating horns sprouting from its forehead and a row of spines down its back.
Forest Linnorm      CR 18
XP 153,600
N Colossal dragon
Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, true seeing; Perception +29
DEFENSE
AC 34, touch 8, flat-footed 28 (+6 Dex, +26 natural, –8 size)
hp 310 (20d12+180)
Fort +21, Ref +20, Will +18
Defensive Abilities freedom of movement; DR 15/cold iron; Immune curse effects, electricity, negative energy, plant traits; SR 29
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft., burrow 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 120 ft. (poor)
Melee bite +28 (3d6+16), 2 claws +28 (2d6+16), slam +28 (2d8+16/19–20), tail slap +23 (2d6+8 plus grab)
Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon (DC 29), constrict (2d6+16), death curse, poison
STATISTICS
Str 43, Dex 22, Con 28, Int 7, Wis 22, Cha 29
Base Atk +20; CMB +44 (+46 bull rush, +48 grapple); CMD 60 (62 vs. bull rush, can't be tripped)
Feats Awesome Blow, Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Vital Strike
Skills Climb +30, Fly +10, Knowledge (nature) +21, Perception +29, Stealth +13 (+25 in forests), Swim +23; Racial Modifiers +12 Stealth in forests
Languages Draconic, Sylvan; plantspeech
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate hills
Organization solitary
Treasure triple
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Breath Weapon (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, a forest linnorm can expel a 60-foot cone of electrified, grasping vines, dealing 20d8 points of electricity damage to all creatures struck (Reflex DC 29 for half). Creatures that fail their saves are immobilized in the vines, while creatures that save are entangled. The vines remain for 1d4 rounds, filling the cone-shaped area, before withering. Any creature that ends its turn in the vines take 4d6 points of electricity damage (no save). The save DC is Constitution-based.
Death Curse (Su) Curse of Forest’s Foe: save Will DC 29; effect the creature is treated as entangled when it is in forest terrain, the creature takes a –10 penalty on Survival skill checks and all physical skill checks within a forest, and all plants have an initial attitude of hostile toward the creature, gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls against the creature, and their attacks deal an extra 2d6 points of damage to the creature.
Plantspeech (Ex) A forest linnorm has the ability to converse with plants as if subject to a continual speak with plants spell. Most plants greet the linnorm with an attitude of friendly or helpful.
Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 29; frequency 1/round for 10 rounds; effect 4d6 electricity damage and 1d6 Str drain; cure 2 consecutive saves.

Forest linnorms are a species of so-called southern linnorms, which are decidedly less harsh than their cousins to the north in reflection of the gentler nature of their territory. This does not mean forest linnorms are immediately friendly to trespassers, but they generally prefer to converse before attacking. However, creatures that harm the forest the linnorms call home receive their immediate wrath. The draconic creatures provide homes to animals, a variety of plants (sentient and non-sentient), and fey. When at rest, forest linnorms look like a copse of trees and incidentally provide shade and shelter for visitors to their sizable mass. Provided these visitors do no harm to the trees making up the linnorm’s body, it is possible the visitors may never realize they encountered a living creature. Forest linnorms shed seeds from the trees comprising their bodies to regrow forests which have been devastated by natural catastrophes or destruction wrought by humanoids.


A forest linnorm is 55 feet long and weighs about 12,000 pounds.